Normally, when I write a review it's a fairly straightforward thing - there's some chat about the setlist, some gratuitous blog t-shirt photos, my own bad gig photos and that's that. This has been a hard one to plan however given the emotion involved in last night's stunning gig in Cologne. Every fan seemed to feel it and Dave certainly did. His performance, as full of energy and as captivating as ever, had an additional emotional edge to it and that edge, as far as I can tell, sensed by everyone in the arena, gave this concert an energy all of its own. It was a truly special night.
I was in Cologne with John H, John C and Stuart. We've been friends since we were 12 and have loved Depeche Mode for almost as long as we've known each other. They are one of our bands. Seeing Depeche with them is always a special thing for me as we celebrate the band that has been a connection between us for most of our lives. You can tell the strength of that connection by the fact they willingly agree to wear blog t-shirts. Our love of Depeche Mode brought us to Cologne for the final gig of the Memento Mori world tour and countless other fans there last night were there for the same reason we were; a celebration of the band that ties their friends and everyone else in the Lanxess Arena together. That sense of love for Depeche Mode was a huge contributor to the energy I mentioned earlier.
I'll stop beating around the bush. We all wonder if last night was the last Depeche Mode gig we will ever see. Nobody could blame Martin and Dave if that turns out to be the case when you consider how long they have been doing this and what they went through in the lead up to recording the album. Of course, we all want them to keep touring and, as at the end of the previous few tours, any speculation about the end of the band is just speculation and no more than that. A few things last night made me think we might be approaching the end though that might well have been down to emotion again - both mine and Dave's.
Anyway, to the show itself. The Lanxess Arena is a good venue though the policy of allowing us standing people in without providing stamps or wristbands is odd. The tickets for our group were on my phone so I had to go out and prove that John and Stuart were genuine standing punters before they got let back in. John H ended up having to show security the picture below to prove that he was in fact entitled to be down there. A small annoying point in an otherwise well-run venue.
Depeche Mode were on tremendous and tremendously loud form. My Cosmos Is Mine was so loud in fact that the vibrations from it made my phone think I was driving. That happened a few more times during the evening - definitely a first. The first of what I have over analysed as a hint this might be the last gig happened after Wagging Tongue. I was watching the screen (the average height of a German must be at least 6 feet 6 inches) and instead of his usual "GOOD EVENING INSERT NAME OF CITY," Dave paused and took a couple of breaths. He then said "Good evening Cologne" in a very subdued way. Now, Dave had just spent two songs twirling around and doing that odd vampire meets chicken dance so he might just have been knackered, but it seemed unusual. Perhaps it's just me.
From there, we got the standard first half of the show. Walking In My Shoes and It's No Good really are two godlike songs and the arena went suitably crazy for both. Everything Counts prompted the first mass singalong of the evening with nobody showing an interest in stopping it. Dave and Martin seemed to enjoy our extended version. My Favourite Stranger was incredible. The song takes on a new power when it's played live and last night's version was a thudding, crunching belter. I had hoped that Speak To Me would feature in this slot as I've still not seen that live, but that was soon forgotten when My Favourite Stranger popped up and slapped me around the chops. Superb.
Dave departed and Martin took over with gorgeous versions of Strangelove and Somebody. I think his Somebody last night was the best one I've seen. Tremendous. God knows how many times I've sung that song since I first heard it on 101. Martin still does it better.
Every time I've seen Ghosts Again on this tour, tears have sprung to my eyes and last night it happened again. Regardless of whether or not it has anything to do with his death, this song only makes me think of Fletch and that's clearly the case for many others too. As he does in the video, when Dave raises his hand at the "Everybody says goodbye" line, I always do it too as did many other fans last night. The song brings so many thoughts to mind - how long I've loved this band, how long I've known my friends, what we've all been through together, how much Fletch is missed and so much more. I know, it's only a song and all that but one of the things Martin has always done best is write music that inspires so many different emotions. Ghosts Again may well be one of his finest in that respect.
A blistering I Feel You restored me to my normal self. Good lord that was loud. Once again, my phone thought I was driving. "That's that for the crying David you silly arse," I thought as A Pain That I'm Used To reminded me that not all remixes are better than the original versions and then World In My Eyes started. Here we go again.
You know the story by now. It's a beautiful tribute to Andy.
Talking of tributes, I was happy to be able to snap Michael Lyons' Fletch tribute flag during the song. Another lovely tribute.
Even though this was my 7th show of the tour and fourth of this leg, I still get blown away by the one-two punch of Black Celebration and Stripped. These songs are nearly 40 years old for God's sake yet they sound as fresh as anything else. Having the ability to pull songs like this out of the bag 38 years after they first appeared really is not fair on other bands. How can they be expected to compete with this?
Given that we had already had World In My Eyes, it was wonderful and a genuine surprise to hear Behind The Wheel too. That made me wonder if World In My Eyes had been played to make sure Fletch was remembered at the last ever show, but the more rational side of me then reminded me (not sure that makes sense...) that it was also the last show of this tour, a more than sensible reason for its inclusion. Us Depeche Mode fans overthinking things? Never. Enjoy The Silence wrapped up the main set and it was a riotous version. Bloody marvellous.
Before Waiting For The Night, Dave gave a little speech. The whole arena seemed to fall silent - what was he going to say? He thanked Peter, Christian and the road crew and then said "It's been a really special tour. We've had, obviously, some challenges at the beginning. We lost our friend and Martin and I decided to carry on and make this record." Cue a huge cheer. He then thanked us for "being with us for all these years," sounding genuinely moved. It was a lovely moment. The song itself was great too with another extended crowd singalong at the end.
The usual three wrapped things up. Just Can't Get Enough did what it does and then Never Let Me Down Again blew what was left of the arena's roof right off. Personal Jesus ended the night on a massive high. The band took their time leaving the stage at the end, rightly drinking in their much deserved adulation.
And that was that - the Memento Mori tour was over and it was time to head home.
Photo by Stuart Cowan
Will we ever see them again? For no reason other than me overthinking things, I don't think we will but I of course hope that I am very, very wrong about that. If they do call it a day, they are doing so on a high and against all odds too given what they went through before the album was recorded. Once again, Depeche Mode have triumphed in the face of adversity, this time of the worst kind, and if they don't know already, I'm happy to tell them here that every single one of us thanks them for everything they have done.
This is of course the last review of this tour review project. Thanks to everyone who has written reviews, shared them and talked about them. Thanks too for coming up to me and my t-shirt models to tell me/them that you love the blog. It's mad that anyone gives this nonsense the time of day and it is genuinely incredibly moving to hear that people like it.
I want to say thanks on here too to Stuart, John H, John C, Paul, Andrew and Colin for years of Depeche friendship and for being walking advertising boards. Thanks too to Emma, Heidi and Carolyn for their debut t-shirt appearances at the Glasgow gig.
Finally, of course, thanks to my wife Pam for putting up with me disappearing around Europe several times and, well for putting up with everything Depeche related in my life! She's a fan too by the way and thinks the gigs on this tour are the best she's seen the band play.
That'll be that then. See you next time? I hope so.
Blog friend, Halo contributor and fellow Liverpool FC fan (a man of great taste in all respects in other words) Chris Snoddon returns to reviewing duties for the first time on this tour. I've already spent a good bit of time with Chris in Dublin this year and can only imagine the good time he, Scott, Stevie and the gang had in Budapest. They hopefully left some beer for everyone else. Thanks for this great review Chris. All pictures belong to Chris unless otherwise stated.
Thanks to @Ultra_Depeche
It was decided after travelling to Rome, Krakow and Berlin during the Global Spirit Tour, a new European city was to be pencilled in for the Memento Mori Tour and Budapest was one I'd always wanted to visit. This gave me the perfect opportunity. I'd been fortunate enough to catch night one in Amsterdam with Stevie and Scott my trusted concert buddies with Dublin and Twickenham following, so I'd managed to catch the show in both indoor and outdoor settings. My main gripe over the years with DM's stadium performances was that the stage set was never big enough for these monstrous venues and was always more suited to the indoor ones and again in my opinion this was the case. The stadium shows always started in daylight as well which never really gave you the full effect of the lights etc but this show was the exception for me. Duskfell pretty early and the compact stadium kept the light out really well which made for a tremendous spectacle.
Chris (left)
We all busied ourselves during the day with the usual tourist attractions and then decided that we would hook up with fellow Home board member Aidan, his lovely wife Debbie and son Jake at 101Klub, a DM themed bar on Rakocki ut. A few beers later and it was off to the stadium. It was pretty easy getting into the venue and very relaxed indeed and once in everyone on the field seemed to be in a real party mood, chatting away and being really courteous when passing by with no pushing in front or being obnoxious. We got drinks really easily and made our way towards the front just as it started to get dark and the pulsing beat of the Intro and My Cosmos Is Mine started. The vibrant blue lights lit up the stage and Dave came on to a huge cheer from the audience. The band who have really improved show on show sounded really tight and this was confirmed during Wagging Tongue, a song which I have now grown to love. The show really started to kick off when Walking In My Shoes and It's No Good were played with the audience around us going mad with enjoyment.
Picture courtesy of Depeche Mode Classic Photos & Videos Facebook Group
The usual track list followed, all met with great enthusiasm by the crowd, especially during the momentous Everything Counts. My Favourite Stranger was preferred over Speak to Me for this show then it was Martin up with A Question Of Lust before giving a beautiful rendition of Strangelove for only the second time this tour. Dave then returned with a solid performance of Ghosts Again and the set list continued on until the majestic Enjoy The Silence finished the show. By this stage the crowd were at fever pitch when the boys returned with Condemnation for the first track of the encore. For me, it is not as good Waiting For The Night but this was the first I'd seen it over this tour so was a welcome change.
Picture courtesy of Depeche Mode Classic Photos & Videos Facebook Group
Just Can't Get Enough followed which finished with Dave throwing in a rather horrific Freddie Mercury impression to my horror (I hate Queen) and then the show finished with the as usual triumphant duo of Never Let Me Down Again and Personal Jesus. Getting out of the venue and back into town was easy enough and we then spent the rest of the night with Aidan and family having a few more liquid jollies and discussing how great the show was and that the crowd was really enthusiastic and loud.
Of the three shows id caught so far this tour, Budapest has been the stand out for me with the mixture of band performance and crowd enthusiasm making it a really enjoyable night. The Stadium was compact and managed well and id definitely pencil it in for another visit in the future. Roll on the fourth leg in the new year for another excursion DM or two.
Matt Cullingworth enjoyed reviewing gigs for the 2017/18 blog project so much that he has come back for more. Here is his excellent review of what sounded like a sweltering Rome gig. Pics are Matt's and Depeche Mode Classic Photos & Videos Facebook Group's so be nice and credit them if/when you nick them. Thanks Matt.
It seems customary for those of us with long suffering partners that when Mode tour the only way we can get them along to a gig is if there’s some kind of mini break abroad involved.
This was certainly the case for me when my wife saw the tour dates and pin pointed Rome as our European outdoor gig this time around. We weren’t the only ones by the looks of things either. As we toured the sights in the morning and visited the Colloseum we bumped into another couple who were doing the same (albeit on a larger scale around Europe). If you happen to read this, it was lovely meeting you both. We did look out for the Basildon flag but couldn’t see it.
The record for my hottest DM gig ever was previously held by either Prague back on The Delta Machine tour or the penultimate night of the Global Spirit tour in Berlin. This was equally sweltering and limited our beer intake significantly (when did we get so old and sensible ??)
As the dry ice started to swirl just before 9pm it must have still been well over 30 degrees. “There’s no way Dave is going to wear a jacket in this weather” commented my wife. How wrong she was. As the opening samples of My Cosmos Is Mine rang out across the stadium, out our favourite frontman came - in a full 3 piece suit. Fair play Dave, the jacket lasted the full song before it was carefully passed over to one of the road crew and we launched into Wagging Tongue.
I know a few people have been a little non plussed with the Memento Mori songs in the set list. In my opinion they fit pretty seamlessly alongside the classics.
Walking In My Shoes sets off a breathless run of massive songs. We get to Sister Of Night which means we’re getting set list B and a few different tracks to what I heard at Twickenham. Phew. That’s my only criticism. I wish they’d mix the set list up a bit more - Blasphemous Rumours would fit like a glove in here somewhere for example (as would Lie To Me)
As we get to the end of Speak To Me which Dave completely nails (as he does with his vocals all night) thoughts turn to what Martin songs we might get. After all Strangelove made its tour debut a few nights before. However, no changes for us, which sounds very ungrateful when Mart sings both A Question Of Lust and Soul With Me so beautifully.
Pic courtesy of Depeche Mode Classic Photos & Videos Facebook Group
We’re getting into the home stretch of the main set now which kicks off with Ghosts Again. Let’s face it this already feels like a DM classic.
A reinvigorated I Feel You and the quite frankly droppable A Pain That I’m Used to take us to the emotional high point of the evening. World In My Eyes is already one of my favourite DM songs anyway but the backdrop of the sadly departed and much missed Andy Fletcher makes it even more poignant. Having been caught off guard by the gut punch it was going to deliver at Twickenham I was doubly surprised when it hit me hard again.
Having lost 2 friends earlier in the year unexpectedly, just before Memento Mori was released, the massive screens are a very visual reminder of the fragility of life and that we must make the most of our allotted time. I’ll drink to that.
Tears wiped away, it’s back to jumping around like a lunatic. Wrong, Stripped, John The Revelator and the best song ever written, Enjoy The Silence, take us to the end of the main set.
Pic courtesy of Depeche Mode Classic Photos & Videos Facebook Group
Here’s where my only gripe comes in and it isn’t with the band. Having been lucky enough to secure gold circle tickets I was looking forward to a great view of Mart & Dave at the end of the catwalk. What transpired through the entirety of a beautiful Waiting For The Night was a sea of mobile phones obscuring what was a mesmerising and tender moment. The modern malaise of concert going I guess.
We all know the encore by now - Just Can’t Get Enough, Never Let Me Down Again and Personal Jesus bring the curtain down on an absolutely stunning performance. They really do sound like they’re getting better live which over 40 years into a career is quite something.
As a series of blacked out vans with a police escort sped passed us. No doubt containing bedressing gowned members of the Mode, it dawned on us that our journey back to the hotel wouldn’t be quite so easy. An hour and a half and a £60 Uber later we were home for the night.
The boys really are on top form this tour. Yes we’d all like to hear some different songs but when they’re smashing it like this it’s hard to argue with the formula. Bring on the winter arenas !!!!
He's back again. Blog favourite and everyone's favourite Greek (so he tells me) Panos Sialakas returns with this superb review of Depeche Mode's show at the legendary San Siro on 14th July. I had intended to go to this gig when the tour was announced but couldn't make it. This review helps make up for that - thanks Panos. Thanks to Depeche Mode Classic Photos & Videos Facebook Group for the pictures. If you are going to use them, credit that group.
I have been to Italy several times for Depeche Mode: Turin (indoor), Rome (outdoor), Bologna (indoor and outdoor) and of course Milan (indoor and outdoor). Knowing how warm the Italian audience is and the special aesthetics and acoustics that the Stadio San Siro offers, I decided for the third time in a row to visit it for my second Memento Mori show (the first one was exactly one month earlier in Dublin).
I have to admit that I was very excited when I arrived at the Front of Stage section of the San Siro, as I was there with several devotees/friends that I hadn't seen for a long time (fuck you, Covid), and so I knew that I was going to have a great time.
What I did know - the warm atmosphere of Milan - was immediately felt as soon as the intro kicked in. My Cosmos Is Mine and Wagging Tongue, although probably the weakest start in Depeche Mode's live history, set the stage for the essential opening with the intensity of the now classic Walking In My Shoes and the always positive vibe of It's No Good.
Sister Of Night, besides being magnificent, is the true test of Gahan's voice, and in Milan he sang it so beautifully that it became clear that we would be in for an excellent show.
Everything Counts is one of the highlights and it's amazing how timeless it sounds 40 years after it was first released (judging by the ticket prices, lol!). The whole stadium was singing and dancing along with Dave as he reached the edge of the sidwalk for the first time.
Martin's set (A Question Of Lust and Soul With Me) was a great opportunity for all of us in the pit to see how intense the atmosphere was throughout the stadium and to have an understanding of the dynamics of the acoustics. During Soul With Me in particular, many of us started filming the people in the stands who had turned on their mobile phones by the thousands, creating a beautiful mosaic of light and glowing.
The second part of the show kicked in with Ghosts Again and the gig really took off. The compact version of I Feel You is probably the best in years. World In My Eyes is the best homage to Andrew Fletcher (we love you Andy!), Wrong is as powerful as it can get (again thanks to Dave's sublime vocals) and Stripped a timeless celebration.
The whole stadium went crazy for Enjoy The Silence, and that's no surprise at any Depeche Mode gig. It's probably the best way to end the main set.
Another highlight of the show, and another indication of the amazing atmosphere at the San Siro, was Waiting For The Night, with both men, Dave and Mart, in the corridor singing to each other and to us all.
I've had enough of Just Can't Get Enough, and so have so many others... so how come we all dance and sing when it's on? Oh well, it's a big party when they play it, and more importantly, it's a song that the vast majority of people enjoy listening to without thinking about the setlist. It was the same in Milan.
And then the two most famous Depeche Mode live songs, Never Let Me Down Again and Personal Jesus, came to round off a wonderful evening and a very good show.
In my Dublin review I wrote that I had some reservations about the setlist, and that has to do with the Memento Mori and Playing The Angel songs. And while in the case of Memento Mori, I accept that the show is part of the overall album promotion (though less so than previous albums), but in the case of the Playing The Angel songs, it's a shame. The songs are brilliant on the album but don't translate well in a live environment.
Also the setlist is basically the same as on the last few tours and in this particular case even the versions are the same.
Nevertheless, and especially after the long time of dealing with a unique situation like Covid, including no trips, meetings and gigs, these reservations are not strong enough to spoil my feelings about the Milan concert. It was a great night and I had a great time!
"I know. He's just going to bang on about Enjoy The Silence being the greatest song ever, a life changing event etc etc. We've heard it all before."
"Far too many times."
They're not wrong. Here's all you ever wanted, in fact, all you never needed to know about Enjoy The Silence.
ALL I EVER WANTED - ENJOY THE SILENCE
BONG8 excitedly announced the release of the greatest song in the history of recorded music (my words), telling readers that the new 12" single Enjoy The Silence from the forthcoming album Violator (never heard of it) would be released on 12th February 1990. A 7" was scheduled "to follow." The official release date was in fact 5th February 1990. and the single went down very well indeed, at least with the record buying public in the usually tone deaf to Depeche Mode UK.
Let's start with the NME. It awarded Enjoy The Silence Single Of The Week. The reviewer was joined by Steve Waddington and Jon Marsh of the temporarily and somewhat remarkably successful band The Beloved. Marsh, who would soon go on to remix World In My Eyes, saying that he thought it was Depeche Mode's "(b)est for a very long time." The NME reviewer called it a "brooding, tender piece" though wrongly mentioned it was the "first cut from their forthcoming album" which is rather unfair to Personal Jesus.
That's just a load of nonsense really though I suppose it does concede that the song is "utterly pleasant" which is something. I'm not sure what magazine it's from.
Simon Reynolds at Melody Maker said the song felt "very dated." Hmm. Music Week's 3rd February edition praised the single. It said"
"The best Depeche Mode single in years heralds a return to the classic pop approach of their early Eighties hits like Everything Counts in contrast to the electro beat of recent recordings. The song itself is heavily to the fore here and strong enough perhaps to furnish the band with their first number one hit."
Sadly not. In America, reviews were generally more positive. Billboard reviewed the single on 10th March, saying:
"Previewing the upcoming Violator album is a more radio-viable effort than the group's hard-won hit Personal Jesus. Track blends quintets recognisable techno-pop melodies with trendy house grooves"
Will we ever know who the fifth member of Depeche Mode was? In his Dance Trax feature in Billboard's 17th March edition, Bill Coleman said "Technomeister Depeche Mode also brings that beat back with Enjoy The Silence...(t)he 12" continues to mark the band's venture to a more raw sound. The 'bass line' version is rather tasty." Tasty Technomesiters indeed.
1990 UK promotional postcard
The single was a solid gold HIT in Britain. It entered the charts at number 17 and roared to number 6 the following week. The band didn't appear on Top Of The Pops themselves, leaving the promo work to the incredible video. The single stayed at number 6 for the next two weeks but, because it was a non-mover, they didn't get any further airtime on the country's premier pop show and sadly got no higher. I'm sure that an appearance on the show would have seen the song climb the Top Ten even further and perhaps even hit number 1. From 6 however, it fell to 12, 20, 32, 52 and finally 62. Oh what could have been.
As we don't have a Top Of The Pops performance to enjoy, here is the band's November 1989 appearance on the German show Peter's Pop Show where they introduced Enjoy The Silence to the world. Interestingly (really?), they use the video mix with that stunning introduction. Sigh.
I've said it before, I'll say it again and eventually you will all stop listening, but Depeche Mode look and sound incredible at this point in their career. I'm not even going to try and hilariously pick apart that performance as every single bit of it is wonderful. Kudos to Alan for keeping the leatherometer ticking over.
The band promoted the sing in France too albeit with a performance filmed in America. On 24th March 1990 the band filmed this performance on the rooftop observation deck on Two World Trade Center for French show Champs Elysees:
As for the single itself, well in my well worn opinion, Enjoy The Silence is both Depeche Mode's finest single and indeed the finest single ever released. We all have that one song that we come back to, time and time again. I first heard Enjoy The Silence in my Mum's car on the radio and it instantly grabbed me. Phrases like "life changing" are spectacularly over the top when talking about music unless it's music that has cured a disease or something, but Enjoy The Silence had a massive impact on me, steering me in the direction of Depeche Mode and ultimately leading to me typing this sentence right now. Discovering Depeche Mode has led to me doing so many different things and meeting so many wonderful people and it's arguable that none of that would have happened without Enjoy The Silence. From the second I heard it I knew it and the band singing it were the song and band for me. 31 years later, I still feel the same and, as well as being a testimony to the majesty of this song, it's also a testimony to the power of music.
It wasn't just me who liked Enjoy The Silence however - the band quite like it too. To date it has been performed at every main gig since World Violation with the exception of the Ultra parties. I say main gig to mean gigs on tours rather than promo gigs. In total, Depeche Mode have played Enjoy The Silence 872 times and Dave has sung the full choruses on 4 of those occasions. It is always a highlight of a show for me but I do wish Anton would drop the frankly horrific films he insists on using for the song.
Dave has also played the song live with his band on the Paper Monsters tour but we've thankfully got no need to worry about that version here. Yikes.
The B-side to the single is haunting instrumental called Memphisto. It has never been played live and that is likely to remain the case. It's a lovely track though.
The Video
As the video starts, you mind is suddenly drawn from the blissful joy of the video-only mix of the song to the fact that your leatheromoter has exploded. Depeche Mode have achieved peak leather and there is no scale capable of accurately assessing it. Alan is almost entirely leather, including his hair, and the video almost creaks as you watch it. Dave snarls, the least threatening hardman of all time, and Fletch and Martin stare. What is going on here then?
Hang on. A rose! Wait - Alan's gone? There are two roses now. WHERE'S FLETCH? Another rose. NOW MARTIN HAS DISAPPEARED. DAVE HAS EATEN THE REST OF THE BAND
It's a very troubling start. Dave eats his band members then escapes, heading to Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire. As he is Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan, he needs a disguise so he cleverly dresses as a King albeit a King wandering around the Queen's estate would stand out. He's got a deckchair though so he can hide under that if anyone sees him. We see shots of the beautiful scenery you find all over the best small country on earth before we return to the scene of the crime.
The band reappear and perhaps Dave murdering his bandmates was all a dream. Everything is fine. The four of them are back together, dressed in black again and...wait a minute...Dave's standing behind Alan looking very angry and grabbing Alan's shoulder. Oh no.....
He's off again. Having been recognised by a Gamekeeper in Balmoral, Dave heads for Portugal and the beach. He finds himself on Prainha Beach in the Algarve with his trusty deckchair once again in hand. To blend in, he even disguises himself as a tree at one point, though no-one is convinced:
The middle section of the song sees us revisit the pre murder days and we see the band having a jolly good laugh. Dave as the King appears, spreading out his arms and that image is the last image the three bandmates saw before being devoured. There's then more leatheriness, a bit more Dave and we'ere back to Portugal where Dave remains on the run. We see a final few shots of his former bandmates before Dave flees to Switzerland to hide in the Alps, living out his remaining days on his deckchair wondering why he ate his bandmates.
Of course, that could all be bollocks. It could be said that the video for Enjoy The Silence is a remarkable thing and the exact point where Anton Corbijn got it spot on with Depeche Mode. A stunning video for a stunning song.
You decide.
The Formats
BONG18 the standard 7" featured the Single versions of Enjoy The Silence and Memphisto. Martin says that the B-side is the name of an imaginary film he created where Elvis featured as the devil. Of course it is. Let's just pause for a second too and admire the artwork. Simple, yet perfect in every respect.
The back of the 7" looks like this. Bear that DM logo in mind as we will see it again soon.
At this point, let's take a trip to Promo Corner. Here is the UK 7" promo for the single. As you will see, it has a large A on the A-Side. That is the sign that you have a promo version. One will occasionally pop up on Ebay with the seller unaware of the real value of the item you are selling. If you can't wait and want one now, head to Discogs and get ready to spend around £400.
The promo 12" P12BONG18 features three tracks, all remixes of Enjoy The Silence - Bass Line, Ricki Tik Tik Mix and the Single Version. The Ricki Tik Tik Mix on the promo 12" is different to the commercially released mix that appears on the limited edition 12" and CD single, as it features additional keyboard sounds. That version was released commercially when the Depeche Mode Singles Box Set featuring Enjoy The Silence was released in 2004. This 12" can currently be yours for £65 or so on Discogs.
The final promo item for now is the 3" promo CD, CDBONG18R. It features the two songs featured on the 7" single. There's one for sale on Discogs for £70 at the time of writing.
Back to normal releases. The cassette single, CBONG18, is a nice thing as you can see. It features the songs from the 7" repeated on both sides.
12BONG18 mirrors the 7" single art. Its A-side features the 7" Version and the marvellous Hands And Feet Mix.
The B-side contains the Ecstatic Dub version of Enjoy The Silence and another spooky but adorable instrumental called Sibeling.
The standard CD single, CDBONG18 pictured above, is a 3" CD featuring the same four tracks as the 12" albeit the Hands And Feet Mix is in an edited form due to the capacity of the CD. It is 37 seconds shorter than the 12" version. The Ecstatic Dub is also 9 seconds shorter than it 12" counterpart. That's one second for every inch of difference in format size - you can't fault the band's attention to detail. The single was reissued on 5" CD too featuring the same four tracks, down to the 3" edits. For some reason, I don't have that CD. Yet.
There were limited edition formats too starting with L12BONG18, the limited edition 12". This is my favourite Depeche Mode record of all time. The record above was the first Depeche record I ever bought while in London on a family holiday in 1990. My Mum won't fly, so getting to our ultimate holiday destination of Livorno in Italy was hard enough. We started off driving from Castle Douglas to Dumfries, then getting a train first to Carlisle and then to London where we spent a night. I managed to go record shopping and bought this record. I subsequently carried it with me from London to Dover (train), Dover to Calais (hovercraft) and then from Calais to Livorno. Going home, I carried it all the way back, finally playing it at home in Castle Douglas having been a pain in the arse and added unnecessary hassle to a family holiday (Dad - "Would you put that bloody record down?"). Those memories however, and the memories of 1990's Depeche Mode discovery, make me very happy indeed.
I see I rambled on a bit there. Here is the rear of the L12. Also, some pressings of the 12" came with a black sticker that says Depeche Mode Limited Edition Remix on it.
LCDBONG18 is another three incher and it features the same four tracks as the L12: the Bass Line, Harmonium and Ricki Tik Tik versions of Enjoy The Silence and Memphisto. Harmonium is a version that is very close to Martin's original demo and is hauntingly beautiful. I used to put it on mixtapes thinking I was being really clever when, in fact and bloody obviously when you think about it, all people wanted to do was hear the actual song and not some obscure remix.
Just when you thought we had been given enough formats, an advert like the one above appeared in the music press. What on earth was this? A one sided 15 minute remix with an etched B-Side? Come again? It was this glorious thing:
XL12BONG18. Now, we (and by "we," I automatically exclude any normal people) had been used to L12's and LCD's in the Depeche Mode release world, but what wizardry was an XL12 and XLCD? Well, it was apparently an extra limited release featuring a mix in four parts called The Quad: Final Mix, a 15 minute (actually 15 minutes 27 seconds) remix of Enjoy The Silence. Nearly as mad as the legendary Everything Counts Filofax pack, this was a truly odd yet marvellous way to round off the multi format madness of Enjoy The Silence. The sleeve is wonderful (remember that DM we mentioned earlier) and the inner sleeve a delight.
What is The Quad:Final Mix then? 4 remixers take charge and remix the single as they see fit, with Paul Kendall having the job of putting all four together. It's not a mix you would put on at a party, but it's still something quite remarkable. The first part is along the lines of the 12" mixes already released and is quite brilliant. At 3 minutes 26 seconds, an alarm clock sounds and the song takes off in a different direction entirely, experimental but interesting and then, all of a sudden, 6 minutes 28 seconds in, everything slows down and the song becomes an orchestral piece. It is beautiful. The orchestral section mixed by Gareth Jones and Mimi Kobayashi was actually released on its own on a Mute compilation album called International : Compilation Mute in 1993. The fourth part of The Quad begins at 10 minutes 41 seconds and ends on a high with a booming final section. What an odd but fantastic release.
The rear cover is wonderful too, echoing both standard 12" and CD singles PLUS the postcard I showed you earlier. If you are like me, and I presume most of you reading this are indeed that or even worse, then this can never fail to make you smile. The etching on the unplayable b-side is beautiful too as I hope the picture above shows. In many ways, this is an almost pointless, vanity release, but to be perfectly honest, I'd have bought it even if it didn't include a record.
There was also a CD release too with no etched b-side, but with a black 3" CD as you can see above. If you'll permit me one last wander down memory lane, this CD single is a wonderful example of how not to collect any band, let alone Depeche Mode. Back in 1990, I would go into Dumfries with my friends Stuart, Jamie and John and we'd trawl the record shops. At the end of one of these days, we went to Domino Records next to our bus stop. Both the XL12 and XLCD were on sale in that shop for 99p each. Rather than buy both, I bought the 12" and some chips. Many years later, I paid around £30 for the CD. Ok, at the age of 16, collecting was hardly at the forefront of my mind, but the chips instead of XLCDBONG18 decision remains one of my worst of all times, at least from an economic point of view.
The 2004 box set CD brought all the mixes together including The Quad:Final Mix. The Ricki Tik Tik Mix on there is the one from P12BONG18 and the Hands And Feet Mix and Ecstatic Dub are the 3" CD edits.
Oddly, Enjoy The Silence wasn't released in a huge number of countries and, in those that it was released in, the vinyl formats are fairly standard. Only France and Germany for example got the full 3 12" treatment. The CD single formats are the more interesting releases from around the world. Allow me to sap what remains of your will to live with a quick run through some of them.
Germany had three 3" releases. Here's the lovely blue version of CDBONG18. I particularly like the fact they use the Depeche Mode font on the CD as well as the sleeve. There are four variants of this. The most sought after seems to be the one with fan club info inside the sleeve. These things matter. Also, the full verson of the Hands And Feet Mix and Ecstatic Dub are present here.
Here's the German LCDBONG18. Again, nice CD font work.
Finally, the German XLCDBONG18 complete with non-exciting font.
The French had 3 CDs too, all on 5" format. They feature a rather nice DM on them as on the French CDBONG18 above.
The French LCD equivalent is similarly nice.
France got an XLCDBONG18 version too. Nice, but I prefer the look of the 3" versions.
The Belgian CDBONG18 version is a 5" CD too AND it features the full versions on the German 3"
The Belgian LCD version is on 5". There is also a Belgian XLCDBONG18 on 5" but I don't have that. I was sure I did too.
The Brazilian CD single is very nice. Good font use and a grey colour which is pleasing. Same tracks as CDBONG18.
The American promo CD features the Single Mix, Hands And Feet Mix and Bass Line mixes of Enjoy The Silence.
The American maxi single features the 8 tracks from the two 12" singles. The first edition of it comes in a curious slipcase. It's cardboard on the outside and contains a plastic disc holder inside. You pull the CD up and out of it.
The re-release came in a standard jewel box.
Next to Japan where we have this odd chap. As you will see, it is very much NOT FOR SALE. This exists because of an error in a Japanese release of Violator. That release came with an 8 track Enjoy The Silence CD single but the Ecstatic Dub featured twice, kicking off the Hands And Feet Mix. This promo CD was then released to make up for this error. The text on the front apparently says:
"Dear customer,
Thanks you for purchasing the DM/Violator limited boxset. We are terribly sorry for the inconvenience, but due to a manufacturing mistake the second track on the box set's bonus CD differs from what it is indicated as. Please kindly accept this corrected version in exchange."
Finally, Japan gave us another snap pack CD, This features the same two tracks as the Uk 7". The packaging is glorious.
The CD is a 3 inch CD
If you want one, there's one on Discogs just now for £379. They don't turn up very often.
I tried to get through this without blubbering on about how much I love this song but it was impossible. Enjoy The Silence was a landmark song for Depeche Mode and, as well as restoring them to their rightful place in the UK Top Ten, it was a global hit and helped give Violator the momentum it needed to make it the huge global hit it became.
Peak Depeche Mode and a time when they got everything right. Enjoy The Silence was the point all the stars aligned for the band leading to them becoming a very big deal indeed.
